Anakbayan New Jersey Participates in Anti-Imperialist Contingent of Million People’s March Against Police Brutality, Racial Injustice, and Economic Inequality

Newark, NJ – July 25th Anakbayan New Jersey, People’s Organization for Progress, and allies from BAYAN USA Northeast joined the Million People’s March Against Police Brutality, Racial Injustice, and Economic Inequality at the Lincoln Monument organized by People’s Organization for Progress, an independent, grassroots, community based, politically progressive association of citizens working for racial, social and economic justice and greater unity in the community. The march was timed to coincide with the 48th anniversary of the 1967 Newark rebellion, which can be attributed to an increase of Black elected officials in the area.

Various victims murdered by police in New Jersey and New York were commemorated by their families, including Abdul Kamal; Kashad Ashford; Jerome Reid; Philip Pannell; and Malcolm Ferguson alongside the names of Sandra Bland; Aiyana Stanley-Jones; Freddie Gray; and countless others. As the families shared words with those in attendance, they echoed the sentiments of Michelle Kamal, the mother of Abdul Kamal, 30. He was shot ten times by the Irvington Police on November 11, 2013: “Our children’s names are not in the news, our children’s videos are not being shown, there’s no group that invite us as a group of mothers…. He will always be my son, he’s not a was, he is an is! … and we’re gonna stand up for our children in New Jersey … we’re gonna make sure no one forgets.” Over 120 community and grassroots organizations, union locals, religious groups, political prisoners defense committees, immigrant rights, women’s and LGBTQ groups from Atlanta; Boston; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Philadelphia; and more expressed support of the Millions People’s March.

Devyn Mañibo, a member of Anakbayan NJ, was one of the participants at the Million People’s’ March that day. “This was a moment for us as Filipino youth not to simply be quiet, follow, and leave only to remain silent and perpetuate complacency in widespread brutality, death, and anti-Black racism in our communities,” Mañibo acknowledged of Anakbayan NJ and BAYAN USA Northeast’s place in the march. “While our struggles are similar, they are certainly not the same, and to just say that we stand for Black lives is not enough; going to a march is just one thing, what happens next? This was a time for us to listen with open ears and open hearts, amplify the voices of our Black comrades, and to continue this by connecting and learning with Black folks locally in New Jersey where we live and on a broader [national and] international level; building genuine trust and solidarity; and working towards liberation together.”

As a Filipino youth and student organization that works to combat US imperialist forces both in the Philippines and our communities in the US, we recognize that the same forces that militarize, repress, surveil, and wage war on Black communities and Black resistance with impunity also operate in the Philippines. The same counterintelligence strategies designed to disrupt and monitor Freedom Fighters and Black Liberation Movements have propelled the 262 cases of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, along with hundreds of cases of forced disappearances, illegal arrest, and harassment of Filipino human rights defenders and activists. We condemn the state repression and killings of our Black brothers and sisters! We stand with the victims and families of police brutality in New Jersey and across the country! Self-determination and liberation for all oppressed peoples!

From Newark to the Philippines, resist state repression! Fight for liberation! Long live international solidarity!